GLOSSARY
10BASE-T
Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.3
standard for Ethernet signaling over unshielded
twisted-pair wire at 10 Mbps.
100BASE-TX
IEEE 802.3u standard for Ethernet signaling over
Category 5 unshielded twisted-pair wire at 100 Mbps.
BIOS
Basic Input/Output System. Collection of services on a
ROM (read-only memory) chip that enables hardware
and software, operating systems and applications, and
applications and users to communicate with one another.
The BIOS on a PC can be updated and expanded to
handle newer devices and greater demands. To get a
newer BIOS, you replace the ROM chip in your PC with
an upgraded chip.
bus mastering
Method for accessing the PC bus in which a card or
device takes control of the bus in order to send data onto
the bus directly, without help from the central processing
unit (CPU).
client/server network
Networking architecture in which all shared applications
and files are stored on one central computer known as a
server. Network users (known as clients) can store their
own files on their own PCs and then use the server to
access shared files and peripherals, such as printers, fax
machines, and modems.
Ethernet
IEEE standard network protocol that specifies how data
is placed on and retrieved from a common transmission
medium. Ethernet has a transfer rate of 10 Mbps.
